Can Alzheimer’s Be Stopped Before It Starts? Groundbreaking Trial Begins

Alzheimer’s Prevention Trial to Give Drug to People Without Symptoms

A groundbreaking international clinical trial is testing whether Alzheimer’s disease can be delayed or prevented before memory and thinking problems begin. The Phase III PrevenTRON trial will recruit around 1,600 healthy adults aged 55–80 who have no noticeable symptoms but may have biological signs associated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s. 

Drug Targets Alzheimer’s-Linked Brain Plaques

Participants will be screened for the p-tau217 biomarker, which can indicate Alzheimer’s-related changes before symptoms become apparent. Those eligible will receive trontinemab, an experimental drug developed by Roche that is designed to target and clear amyloid plaques in the brain. 

The study will compare the drug with a placebo to determine whether treating people at this very early stage can prevent or delay the onset of dementia. Researchers expect the trial to run for several years, with sites across the UK and internationally. 

Researchers stress that trontinemab is still investigational and the trial is intended to establish whether the approach is actually effective at preventing Alzheimer’s not proof that the disease can currently be stopped. 

Why It Matters

The trial represents a major shift in Alzheimer’s research: instead of waiting for memory loss to appear, scientists are testing whether intervening while people are still symptom-free can change the course of the disease.